Woohoo, I seem to have been teasing you forever from this story and the day is finally here. It's Release Day!

*happy squeal*

As has become a bit of a tradition on my blog for my Siren releases now, you can read the entire first chapter here today!

And because I'm celebrating I'm also giving away $10 worth of Bookstrand Strand Bucks. Just leave me a comment, and tell me which shifter is your favourite and why, and you never know. I might base a future Protector on your suggestion.

Just ask my RavDor Chicks. I've used a lot of their names in this story. If you wondering what a RavDor Chick is... well, where have you been? You can find us on Facebook here.It's the reader group I share with the awesome Raven McAllan, who, by the way, has me on her blog today too with an exclusive and HAWT excerpt from The Witch's Protector. You can find that here.

In 1957 the tiny village of Middle Brook is caught between two warring MCs, the Mongrels and the Lupines. As a fledgling Guardian witch, not yet in full control of her immense powers, Joanne Lilley knows to stay away. When she witnesses the Mongrels leader being run off the road, the instant connection she feels to the wolf shifter changes everything. Is he the one destined to awaken her?

Henry Hastings is the Alpha of his pack and the village’s Protector. He’s a man with a vision—all shifters will unite against the evil that haunts Cumbria at night—something the Lupines vehemently oppose. Finding his mate is a young and innocent witch wasn't part of that vision, but the fates have decided.

Being with him places Joanne in danger, as her awakened powers are sought by his enemies.

Chapter OneHalloween, present time“There you are, Mum. Everyone is here now, and wondering where you are, and…oh Mum.”Her daughter’s approach shook Joanne Hastings out of her memories and she hastily wiped the tears off her weathered cheeks. Rebecca noticed, of course. Well on her way to being a powerful witch in her own right since her mating and subsequent marriage to the lion protector of the neighboring lakes, she would have sensed her mother’s distress a long time before Rebecca actually entered the room.Nonetheless Joanne fixed a smile on her face and slowly took her hand off the picture of the late Henry Hastings, where she had been tracing his beloved profile.Rebecca pulled her in for a hug, and Joanne closed her eyes and let the love of her daughter wash away the sadness that always permeated her soul at this time of year.“I miss him, too, Mum, but he would be so proud of what you have achieved here,” Rebecca said, and Joanne smiled through her tears and straightened up again. She didn’t miss her daughter’s frown when she had to lean heavily on her walking stick to do so.“I’ll say it again. Maybe it’s time to step down, Mum. You’ve been doing this an awfully long time. No one would blame you, if you passed on your responsibilities. Ronan can cope on his own, and I can help out, when needed. You deserve your rest now.”It was an old and frequent discussion between them, and Joanne patted Rebecca’s shoulder, and shook her head.“You have enough to do, and until you come into all of your powers, there is no one suitable to take over. Besides what would I do with myself? My crocheting skills are atrocious. If I get bored and take to making any more unsuspecting humans quack, the rest of them will wonder about me.”Rebecca laughed and Joanne’s lips, too, quirked into a smile. It had been such fun to take the local mechanic down a peg or two, when he had tried to make a move on Ronan Bernhard’s now fiancée and mate. The bear Protector had almost lost his cool in front of everyone at the big Summer Fete. That would not do. Humans on the whole would never be able to cope knowing they lived in a hotbed of paranormal activity. Ronan’s mate, Tina, had been very much the exception. Then again she had been destined to be Ronan’s mate and with a little bit of help from Mrs. H, as Joanne was known around the village, things had worked out just right.“Even so,” Rebecca continued, as tenacious as any dog with a bone. “We’re working on that, anyway.”She takes after you, Henry, Joanne silently mused, and listened to the amused chuckle in the ether, before she turned her full attention back on her agitated daughter.“On what, my dear? Making sure humans quack or…”“Mother, do be serious.” Rebecca’s voice took on that exasperated tone she had perfected as a teenager. Back then, when parents were just the most embarrassing thing ever. Especially when your father was an overbearing Alpha wolf-shifting Protector, who severely curtailed said teenager’s dating activities. Little had Rebecca known his reasons then. It just wasn’t safe out after dark, not for the daughter of a Protector and the most powerful witch in the local coven.Joanne’s amusement fled when she saw her only daughter cradle her abdomen. Oh no.“It’s just not working out very well,” Rebecca said. Joanne reached across to wipe the silent tears off Rebecca’s face, and was rewarded with a watery smile. “Damn it,” her daughter continued. “I know this is just the way it goes, but if I lose another one…shit, the way he looks at me. It breaks my heart every time. He didn’t sign up for this shite. We should have had several lion cubs by now. It’s just not fair, Mum.”Joanne let go of her walking stick and putting her hands on top of her daughter’s, closed her eyes and concentrated. The life contained within those precious walls was only just starting, but it was strong and a tingle of recognition went up Joanne’s arms. Rebecca, too, must have felt it, because she gasped.“That’s never happened before. Do you think…maybe…By all our ancestors, I daren’t even say it out loud, in case…”“Shh, my dear child. Trust in the fates.” Joanne opened her eyes, to see the quizzical look on her daughter’s face. The blazing hope that shone out of her green eyes was hard to take. “What will be, will be, you know that. I will say this. This life is strong, much stronger than the last few. Take heart in that.”They stood, heads bowed, hands interlinked, both of them lost in their thoughts, until loud throat-clearing from behind them made them look up.Ronan Bernhard stood in the doorway with the biggest grin on his face, an anxious-looking Tina behind him.“Ah, talking of fates. I see you two have finally figured out that the newest Protector is on his way?”Ronan laughed, and if that was possible grew even taller. Waves of possessiveness and pride radiated off him, and Joanne smirked at Rebecca’s whisper in her mind.Men, they’re all the same.“You knew?” Tina asked, and Ronan pulled her into his side, one hand placed protectively on her lower abdomen.“Told you she’d know, babe,” Ronan said. Amusement warred with exasperation in his deep voice, and there was the distinct growl of his bear. The beast was not amused it seemed, and Joanne smiled. “Now why on earth didn’t you clue us in, Mrs. H?”“Why didn’t you sense it the minute she fell, Ronan?” she asked, and the bear Protector had the good sense to look chagrined. “Yeah, thought as much, too busy fucking no doubt.”Rebecca laughed, Ronan smirked, and Tina just made a strangled sound in the back of her throat, and turned beetroot red. That girl could blush at the drop of a hat.Joanne took pity on her. She had grown rather fond of the human and looked on her as almost a second daughter, after all.“Still, newly mated as you are, I would worry if you didn’t.” She stepped up to the couple and held her hands out. “May I?” she asked and Tina’s eyes widened. “I would like to say hello properly to our newest member.”“What are you going to do, Mrs. H?” Tina regarded her warily and Joanne chose to err on the side of amusement, rather than annoyance at the human’s reaction. Ever since she’d found out that Mrs. H was in fact a witch, she had been more reserved around her. Not that Joanne could blame her. With raging pregnancy hormones, she was already displaying the protectiveness she would need to keep her offspring safe. Ronan must have come to the same conclusion, because the look of pride in his mate was unmistakable as he looked down on her.“She won’t harm him, babe,” he said. “Just let her do her thing.”Tina’s gaze swung round to her mate, and she screwed her little nose up.“Oh, him, is it? For all you know she might be a girl.”“It doesn’t matter one iota to me to if we’re having a boy or a girl, as long as you’re both healthy, but there’s a long line of boys in my family, so chances are, we’re having a boy, sweetheart.”Ronan dropped his words to a growly whisper on the last few words, and all the fight went out of the little human, when he cupped her chin and looked down at her.A pang of longing went through Joanne, and she wasn’t at all surprised to hear Rebecca sigh and then excuse herself to find her own mate. Ronan and Tina’s connection had always been strong, even before they officially mated, but now it filled the room, and made Joanne feel as though she was intruding on a private moment. It also made her miss her Henry even more than usual. It had been so very long since she felt his touch.It was her turn to clear her throat, and when her two companions finally focused their attention back on her she smiled at them.“Would you like to find out?” she asked and Tina’s eyes widened in surprise.“Fuck, yes.” The bear shifter’s answer didn’t surprise Joanne, but his mate seemed more reluctant.“I won’t tell you, if you’d rather keep it a surprise,” Joanne said, and Tina shook her head.“No, it’s not that. I mean, of course I’d love to know, but… shit, you can do that, too? Is there anything you can’t do?” Tina’s voice wobbled on that question, and Ronan drew her in front of him, and rested his chin on her head. The action calmed Tina instantly.“I’m sorry, it’s none of my business, and I know you’d never use your powers to harm anyone, it’s just…Damn, I’m glad you’re on our side, Mrs. H.”Ronan’s amused chuckle rumbled through them all, but Joanne didn’t miss the silent warning in the bear shifter’s gaze when it connected with her. He, of all people, knew the truth about Joanne’s capabilities and after tonight Tina would, too.Joanne ignored the human’s last comment and placing her hands on Tina’s abdomen, closed her eyes and concentrated. What she found made her grin. Well, of course. Why was she even surprised?“I’m not sure I like that smile, Mrs. H,” Ronan said, and waves of worry came off Tina. “What have you found?” he asked.“Is the baby okay? Damn it, it’s not, is it. I’ve been on the pill, and not been taking any of the vitamins you’re supposed to take and—”“Girl, stop that right now, or so help me, I put you over my knee right here, and spank that nonsense out of your head, and trust me, I will make those swats hurt.”Her mate’s growled words stopped Tina mid-panic and she clamped her mouth shut. Tina’s clenched fists and the tear-stained look she threw at Joanne spoke volumes though. Oh the follies of youth.“Mrs. H?” This time the bear shifter’s words held more than a hint of warning. The imp in Joanne wanted to string this out a bit, but she couldn’t ignore Tina’s almost palpable fear for her unborn child, so instead she smiled and stepped back.“Your babies are fine, Tina.”Ronan clocked that straightaway, if his muttered hot damn was anything to go by, but Tina just slumped back against him and whispered, “Oh thank God. Thank you, Mrs. H. You have no idea how…”Her words trailed off as it seemed to dawn on her what Joanne had actually said, and Joanne flicked a glance up at Ronan. He wasn’t paying attention to her, his whole focus on his mate. Love, and fierce protectiveness came off him in waves and that warmth enveloped Joanne, too.We did good, you and I, Henry.We sure did, little red.Joanne blinked away tears at the response in her head, and a shiver went through her at the whispered touch against her neck. Only on All Hallow’s Eve, when the barriers between this world and the next were at their thinnest could she feel him this closely. It made her miss him even more, but her time here was not done yet. Only when the fates deemed it so would she join him on the other side.I’ll be waiting.“Did you say babies, as in there’s more than one?” Tina’s question broke the connection Joanne had established with her late husband, and she felt him slip away. Folks would say it was a figment of her imagination, but Joanne knew better. He was always with her, especially when she needed him, but at this time of year, she could almost see him, touch him and draw from his strength like she had done when he was alive.Tina and Ronan had the same connection, and Joanne took a deep breath and smiled.“Yes, I said babies, my dear. You’re having a boy and girl, so, you see you were both right.”She took a step back to give the two of them a moment to let that sink in.“Oh my god, two… I never… Oh, wow.” Tina swayed on her feet, and Ronan drew her closer still into his embrace.“Yes, two. There will be all sorts of fun in your house in six months’ time. Now, excuse me while I get things ready. I’ll meet you in the living room. I have a tale to tell.”“Sure thing, Mrs. H. I can’t wait for Tina to hear it. Just give me a minute to calm her down.”Joanne narrowed her eyes at him and the shifter grinned and winked at her.“Make sure that’s all you do, young man. I don’t need those mental images in my head every time I walk into my kitchen, or else…”Tina groaned, Ronan chuckled, and after one pointed glance at the prominent bulge in the Protector’s groin that made him move one hand to cover it, Joanne left them to it.A sea of faces met her in her living room. Not a space was unoccupied, and several people sat on the floor or leaned against the wall. An air of expectancy filled the space, and power surged through Joanne, as she fed off the emotions of the assembled paranormal beings in the room. Rebecca smiled at her, and Joanne’s spirit lifted, seeing Rebecca’s husband cradle her daughter’s tummy.Rebecca’s worries were unfounded. Her lion loved her to distraction and this time, their baby would stay. It was not information she was going to share with Rebecca, but, judging by the huge grin Leon wore, he knew that, too.The crackling fire drew her and she held out her hands to warm them. An ember fell, sparks singeing the rug, and Henry’s eyes appeared in the dancing flames. Just like the first time she’d seen them they drew her in, and Joanne fell back under his spell. When she blinked he was gone, and she turned around to see Ronan and Tina had slipped into the back of the room. One of the duck shifters blanched when Ronan’s bear growled at him and the man hastily offered his chair to Tina. She sat down with a grateful smile, and Denver James hurried off, and found a spot on the floor as far away from the bear shifter as he could. Amusement bubbled up in Joanne. Ronan was the village Protector and thus sworn to protect all of them, but folks still got wary around him. With good reason, to be fair. Ronan Bernhard had managed to do what countless Protectors before hadn’t. He had eradicated the particularly nasty cell of vampires that had plagued the village for the last fifty years, by taking out their queen. It had almost cost him his life at the time, and a shudder went through Joanne at the thought of what could have happened. After all, she knew first hand of the power that evil bitch had held. She pushed the disturbing thought away and concentrated on the people in the room, instead.Their village was unique in more ways than one, and today was the day she told the story of how they all came to be. She smiled at her friends and neighbors and spread out her arms.“On this Hallow’s Eve I welcome you, my friends, to celebrate our village and all of its uniqueness. On behalf of the council let me extend my gratitude to the Protectors here.” She paused to give a little bow to them all. Ronan, Leon, Eva, and Sasha. “We truly appreciate all that you do.”A murmur of agreement went through the crowd, and Joanne continued.“As those of you who’ve heard me tell this tale before, will know, this unity we now enjoy was hard earned, and thus we protect it with all of our being. Everyone here in this room has and will contribute to this in some way. Be it small or large, let’s continue to do so, and embrace all beings alike, as long as they wish us no harm.”Again that collective murmur could be heard, and Joanne took her seat in the big plush chair by the fire, and began her tale.“This all began on All Hallow’s Eve fifty odd years ago, when I…”*******

There you have it.

Don't forget to tell me your favourite shifter, to be in with a chance to win those Strand Bucks.

It's hard to decide what my favorite shifter is because they are all so yummy! I'll just go with whatever shifter you write is my favorite at that moment. Be it wolf, lion, bear, panther; you write about him and he is my favorite!!!

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About ME

I like to spin sensual, sassy, and sexy tales involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get. From contemporary to paranormal, BDSM to F/F, M/M, and Ménage, haunting love stories are guaranteed.